Means for operating railroad switches or targets.



PATENTED MAY 24, 1904.

E. J. GROSS. MEANS FOR OPERATING RAILROAD SWITCHES OR TARGETS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 4, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

no menu.

PATENTED MAY 24, 1904.

J. GROSS.-

MEANS FOR OPERATING RAILROAD SWITCHES OR TARGETS.

UNITED STATES Patented May 24, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

EDWIN J. GROSS. OF ALLENTOI/VN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOEDWIN J. LIOHTENl/VALNER, OF ALLENTOW'N, PENNSYL- VANIA.

MEANS FOR OPERATING RAILROAD SWITCHES OR TARGETS- SPEGIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 760,447, dated May 24, 1904.

Application filed November 4:, 1903. Serial No. 179.842. (No model.)

To all, whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN J. GRoss, of Allentown, in the county ofLehigh and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Means for Operating Railroad Switches or Targets; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it ap- I pertains to make and use thesame.

The object of this invention is to provide improved, simple, andhighlyeliicicnt means for operating switches and signal-targets of arailway from moving cars without the ne- 5 'cessity of stopping the carand avoiding hand manipulation of the actuating mechanisms by themotorman or conductor.

The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth and particularlypointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a bottom of acar equipped with operating means in accordance with my invention. Fig.2 is a side view of a portion 5 of a car at the center thereof. Fig. 3is an enlarged sectional view showing a trip-actuating wheel and meansfor controlling the same. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatical view of sectionsofa railroad equipped with my im- 3 provements. Fig. 5 is an enlargedcross-sectional view on line 5 5, Fig. 4:. Fig. 6 is a View on line 6 6,Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a car-body, and 2 a shaft atabout the center thereof, equipped with wheels 3, engaged by chains 4,(or it may be rods,) leading from operating-levers 5 on the endplatforms. On this shaft are segmental toothed wheels 6, which mesh withrack-bars 7, vertically mov- 4 able in guides 8. These rack-bars attheir lower ends support a cross rod or shaft 9, on the ends which aretrip-actuating wheels 10, the flanges 12 of which are on the outer sidesthereof, while the flanges of the car-wheels 13 are, as usual, on theinner sides. The

shaft 2 is equipped with a counterbalancingweight 14 to offset theweight of the tripactuating Wheels and their controlling mechanism. Byoperating either lever these actuating-wheels may be lowered or raisedat 5 will; but they are normally held in the position shown in fulllines in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 1 1 have shown at 15 the point of location of a target and havealso shown trips 16, one being adjacent the main-line track 17 While theother adjoins the turnout-- track 18. I have shown at 19 a trip foractuating the switch 20, sothat a car moving in the direction of arrow Xwill set the switch to allow the car to pass onto the turnout, while at21 isa trip for returning the switch to its normal position by a carmoving in the opposite direction, such latter trip being located on theinside of the track between the rails thereof. Each of the other trips,it 5 will be noted, is located outside of the trackrails, and hence arein line to be actuated by wheels 10, whereas trip 21 will be actuated bythe flanges of the car-wheels. The construction and operation of eachtrip will be 7 readily understood from Figs. 5 and 6. In a housing 22 islocated a spring-plate 23, paralleling the tread of the rail, againstwhich it is closely set, such plate being centrally mounted on anupright rod 24, passed downwardly through asleeve 25 and connected bysuitable cranked rods 26 or other means to the mechanisms of the targetor switch, as the case may be. When the plate 23 of any one of the tripsis depressed by the actuating-wheel 30 of a passing car, the mechanismof the target or switch is set and there remains until the complementarytrip is operated, there being two trips to a target and also to theswitch.

In practice as a car traveling in the direc- 5 tion of arrow Y, Fig. 4c,approaches the target the motorman will throw lever 5 so as to lower theactuating-wheels 10, one of which will depress plate 23 of trip 16 ofthe mainline track, thereby throwing off the light or 9 target, so thatthe motor-man of the next car will be apprised of his right of way. Acar going in the opposite direction will likewise operate the target.With a car approaching the switch in the direction of arrow X themotorman desiring to go onto the turnout throws one of the levers 5, sothat the trip 19 will be actuated to set the switch, and the presence ofhis car on the turnout will be indicated by the target, which isoperated by the actuating-wheels of his car engaging the other of thetrips 16-that is, the one adjacent the outer rail of the turnout. Acaron the main track going in the opposite direction (indicated by arrow Y)again throws the switch into its proper place by the flanges of itswheels engaging the trip 21.

From what has been said it will be seen that I have provided in a blocksignal and switch system extremely simple and highly-efficient means foractuating the target and switches of electric railways directly from amoving car.

It is obvious that any suitable means may be employed for connecting theseveral trips with the actuating mechanisms of the targets and switchesand also that suitable provisions may be made to protect such connectingmeans and to guard against danger from ice, snow, Sac.

1 claim as my invention- 1. The combination with a car, oftrip-actuating wheels, a shaft therefor, a second shaft connected to thefirst-mentioned shaft and having means for normally holding the latterraised, and means for actuating said second shaft for lowering thefirst-mentioned shaft from either end of a car, as set forth.

2. The combination with a car, of trip-actuating wheels, a shafttherefor, a second shaft, means connecting said shafts for raising andlowering the first shaft, means for actuating such second shaft from theends of a car, and trip mechanisms for targets or switches designed tobe engaged by said actuating-wheels, as set forth. 1

3. The combination with a car, of trip-actuating wheels, a shafttherefor, a second shaft having toothed wheels, rack-bars secured to thefirst-mentioned shaft and engaged by said toothed wheels, guides forsaid rack-bars,

means for actuating said second shaft from the ends of a car, and tripmechanisms for targets or switches designed to be engaged by saidactuating-wheels, as set forth.

4. The combination with a railroad-track, targets or switches, and tripsfor the latter having engaging portions located adjacent to, but outsideof, the track-rails, of a car having a shaft capable of being movedvertically, means for actuating such shaft, and wheels mounted on theends of such shaft having flanges at their outer sides for engaging saidtrips, as set forth.

5. The combination with a railroad-track, targets or switches, and tripsfor the latter having engaging portions located adjacent to, but outsideof, the track-rails, of a car having a shaft, wheels mounted thereonhaving outer flanges for contacting with said engaging portions of thetrips, rack-bars secured to such shaft, a counterbalanced shaft havingtoothed wheels meshing with said rackbars, and means for actuating suchshaft from the ends of a car, as set forth.

6. The combination with a railroad-track, a turnout and a switchtherefor, of two trips for actuating such switch, each trip having anengaging-plate, one trip being located outside of the track and theother trip between the rails thereof, such latter trip being designed tobe engaged by the carrying-wheels of a car, a car movable on such trackhaving an actuating-wheel equipped with a flange on its outer side forcontacting with the engaging-plate of the outer trip, and means forcontrolling the position of such actuating-wheel, substantially as setforth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

EDWIN J. GROSS.

